So, you want to read Dostoevsky’s darkest and most hilarious novel, a controversial political satire, the title of which has been variously rendered as The Possessed, The Devils, Devils, and Demons? By all accounts, it’s intense! You’ve got five in-print English translations to choose from, seven in total.
What does it mean to say that “Manuscripts don’t burn”? The publication history of Bulgakov’s black comedy reflects the difficulties artists face under authoritarian governments, yet justifies the author’s faith that no authority can stifle the creative flame.
“The Idiot has merits that equal, and, in some cases, surpass those of Dostoyevsky’s other masterpieces…. The Idiot was also Dostoyevsky’s personal favorite.” —Gary Rosenshield
Unabridged Audiobooks are available for three different English translations of Crime and Punishment.
Dostoevsky died before writing the second half of the two-part story he wanted to tell with these characters, but this half is nevertheless a much-admired achievement.
Know someone who loves Russian literature? These editions make good gifts!
So you’re going to read War and Peace in English. A worthy ambition. But do you want the embedded French passages translated into English in the text itself, or in footnotes?
I read and enjoyed the Maude translation, but most people will have heard of the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation, as it was chosen for Oprah’s book club in 2004. Supposedly it sounds more like Tolstoy than, say, Garnett…
“Not to have read it is a crime, and reading it is the punishment.”
I was happy with the Garnett translation; not so happy with the Nietzschean philosophy.
